This was our 11th Oceania Cruise, but the first on Marina. We chose cabin 7135 for the spacious wrap around balcony on the stern. It was great to sit there on a sunny day or when it was protected from the wind. Nonetheless, there is a downside of significant vibration when the ship is using stern thruster or hard rudder when docking or moving in restricted waters. While my wife slept through these, as well as the slapping of waves under the transom when there was a strong onshore breeze, I was awakened by them,as were our friends in the equivalent port side cabin, 7135. Despite this, I would choose this cabin again for any cruise that involved significant time in rivers or fiords.

The cabin itself was very nice,with more drawer space than we required,a very nice bathroom with more storage space than required, a good make up mirror, and a very comfortable bed. Service was as good, or better than, the service on the smaller ships. The activities aboard were very good. We liked the culinary center cooking classes and my wife particularly enjoyed the artists center.

We took one ship's excursion to Ghent, as we had been many times in Brugge, and enjoyed a great deal. We did not expect so charming and pretty a city. We also took a culinary shore excursion in Helsinki, but were a little disappointed with that, as we expected to walk among the markets with the chef and to learn something about the art of choosing market foods. That was not the program we got, and we think it possible to have a more personalized experience with a tour limited to 24 persons. Read more